PORTLAND, Maine - A spring storm dumped up to 18 inches of snow on northern New England Thursday, causing power outages, school closures and the cancellation of an opening day.

Central Maine Power Co. reported that at least 95,000 of its southern and central Maine customers lost power in the storm, which brought down tree limbs and power lines Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

The Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, postponed its season opener in Portland, which had 18 inches of new snow Thursday. Sea Dogs staffers tried to make the best of the situation, putting nine snowmen in uniform on the field instead. The team said the last time snowmen have been on the field opening day was 2001.

In Vermont, a spring-time winter storm warning was in effect for much of the state overnight and snowfalls were expected to reach up to 10 inches. Vermont State Police closed miles of interstate highway to commercial traffic in the pre-dawn hours because of icy road conditions, the Burlington (Vermont) Free Press reported.

Winter weather also affected central Kansas Thursday, where the National Weather Service predicted snow by midday.